Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults

The Mountain, a natural symbol

The mountain in the Old Testament The Bible introduces mountains in its literature as visiting places of God, already in Genesis in the time of Abraham. God had ordered him to sacrifice his son Isaac in the land of Moriah. On reaching there, Isaac had asked his father, "We have brought here the firewood needed but where is the goat to be sacrificed". Then Abraham had replied, "God will see to it". Just when he was about to slay his son in sacrifice, an angel halted him and pointed out a ram caught in a bush close to a mountain nearby. Abraham after taking the goat and sacrificing it in the place of his son, named the mountain, "Yahweh-yireh; hence people now say, 'On the mountain the LORD will see'" (Gen. 22:14). Mountains continued to play a role in the lives of the Semitic people ever since Abraham had his special experience of God's providence, as we have reported above. Next we see Jacob and Laban having an oath near a mountain and after that Jacob and his kinsmen slept in the mountain, "He then offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his kinsmen to share in the meal. When they had eaten, they passed the night on the mountain" (Gen. 31"54). Moses' most intense experience of God takes place at two important mountains, Horeb and Sinai, Horeb is called the mountain of God, in Exudos, "Meanwhile Moses was tending the flock of his father-in law Jethro, the priest of Midian. Leading the flock across the desert, he came to Horeb, the mountain of God"(Ex.3:1) It was there that Moses hears the voice of God from the burning bush (Ex.3:4-15). Later during the journey through the desert,God commands Moses from Horeb to strike a rock to get a water, "I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb. Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink'. This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel" (Ex. 17:6). Sinai is the most spectacular of all the mountains where Moses and the people of God and also received the Ten Commandments: "Mount Sinai was all wrapped in smoke, for the Lord came down upon it in fire. The smoke rose from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently"(Ex,19:18). "The glory of the Lord settled upon Mount Sinai. the cloud covered it for six days, and on the seventh day he called to Moses from the midst of the cloud"(Ex.24:16). "When the Lord had finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai,he gave him the two tablets of the commandments, the stone tablets inscribed by God's own finger"(Ex.31:18). There were a series of spiritual events that took place on sacred mountains according to the bible. Elijah had challenged the prophets of Baal to assemble in Mount Carmel and bring down rain by the Power of the gods each one believed in:He told King Ahab, "Now summon all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, as well as the four hundred and fifty prophets of Asherah who eat st Jesebel's table" (Kings 18:19). After the contest and the slaying of the false prophets, Elijah went on his way and after receiving food from heaven on the way, he went to Mount Horeb, "He got up, and ate and drunk;then strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights to the Mountain of God, Horeb" (1Kings 19:8). It was there he got a vision of God that gave him strength and a new commission, There are many more stories of prophets and kings who find God on mountains. This is in contrast to the Gentile nations seeking strength from their gods and goddesses on mountains and high places through idolatry and immoral practices. These practices are condemned by the prophets quite often. We have a classical one from Ezekiel who condemns Israel and its mountains for evil practices, "Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD. Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains and hills, the ravines and valleys: See, I am bringing a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places" (Ezek.6:3).

God' Holy Mountain, a prophetic theme

* Zion, though it is only a small hill finally becomes the perfection of all mountains because on it was the dwelling place of God. This thought is a recurring theme that is quite frequent in the psalms and prophecies in the Bible. Every prophet makes a reference to God's Holy Mountain (Jerusalem, Zion) and calls people to find hope on God's holy mountain. The following are few of the examples that could be cited: * Ps. 48:1- "Great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, in his holy mountain". * Is. 11:9- "They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of knowledge of Yahweh". * Is. 27:13- "It will happen in that day that a great trumpet will be blown; and those who were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and those who were outcasts in the land of Egypt, shall come; and they will worship Yahweh in the holy mountain in Jerusalem". * Is. 65:25- "The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain,"says Yahweh". * Ez. 20:40- "For in my holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel,says the Lord Yahweh, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them, serve me in the land: there will I accept them, and there will I require your offerings,and the first fruits of your offerings, with all your holy things". * Ez. 28:14- "You were the anointed cherub who covers: and I set you, that you were on the holy mountain of God; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire". * Ez. 43:12- "This is the law of the house: on the top of the mountain the whole limit around it shall be most holy. Behold, this is the law of the house". * Zech.8:3-"Thus says Yahweh: 'I have returned to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called 'The City of Truth;' and the mountain of Yahweh of Armies, 'The Holy Mountain." *Rev. 21:10-11- "He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having glory of God".

Mountain in the Gospels

Departing from the past tradition when Jerusalem was the mount where God could be worshipped, Jesus did not attach importance either to Jerusalem or any other mountain as a place of prayer or Divine experience. In fact, while talking to the Samaritan woman he said that neither the temple of the Jews nor the sacred Mountain of the Samaritans mattered for prayer but emphasized the importance of praying in spirit and truth CJn. 4:23-24). In the Gospel according to Matthew quite symbolically he is seen teaching the disciples from a mountain. But he tells them that they should pray in secret to the Father from the privacy of the room with the doors closed,"But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you" )Mt.6:6) However mountains do have prominence in the Gospels and great events are related to mountains. Beginning with the Sermon on the Mount, there are a number of instances when the mountain is chosen as an important location for significant events in the Gospels.Jesus was transfigured on a mountain that traditionally is believed to be Mount Tabor.Next we hear of the Mount of Olives as the place where Jesus prayed after the Last Supper," Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the mount of Olives" (Mt.26:30). He had often spent nights on that mountain,"During the day,Jesus was teaching in the temple area, but at night he would leave and stay at the place called the Mount of Olives"(Lk. 21:37). His death took place on Calvary a little mount covered with skulls, made holy by the blood of the Redeemer.The ascension too is believed to have taken place from a mountain in Galilee, according to Matthew, though he does not describe the scene,"The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them" (Mt.28:16). According to Luke the ascension takes from a mountain called Olivet that was near Jerusalem,"Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet,which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away" (Acts: 1:12). Later in the early Christian Church the meaning of Mount Zion changes into a heavenly site, "No, you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering" (Heb.12:22). John's visions are focused quite vividly on the heavenly Jerusalem, "Then I looked and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads" (Rev.14:1). He sees it coming down from heaven to earth which means the formation of a holy mountain on the earth,that is the center where the Christians are to experience God, "He took me in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God"(Rev:21:10). Conclusion: We human beings search for God through signs and symbols that are quite common. God fulfills these aspirations through his marvelous interventions through Christ.In Christ he has made everything new. This too was prophesied many centuries ago, especially through Isaiah."Lo, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the things of the past shall not be remembered or come to mind"(Is.65:17). At the center of this new creation, there had to be God's dwelling place on the holy mountain.And too Isaiah had prophesied long ago,"On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy,rich food and pure, choice wines" (Is. 25:6). We are all the beneficiaries of the new heavens and the new earth where the mountain of the Lord is our Church, where God dwells. It is really marvelous that every natural symbolism searching for God has been fulfilled in Christ.

QUEEN ESTHER ...a model of prayer

Who was Esther? Her earlier name was Hadas'sah (the feminine form of hadas, myrtle). She was the daughter of Abihail, of a Benjaminite family that did not return to Palistine after the exiles were given freedom. After she had lost her parents she was under the care of Mordechai her uncle (Esther @:7). The name Esther itself, a variant of the name of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, was given to her after having been chosen queen by King Ahasuerus and joining the Harem. The name could be also a Syro-Arabian modification of the Persian word Satarah, which means star. Those Jews who had not returned to Palestine after exile still had to fear much. While they were in the Persian Empire centuries after the others had come back to Palestine, there was a plot hatched by Haman a minister under king Ahasuerus, to exterminite all the Jews from the empire. Haman's conspiracy arose from his anger because an important official named Mordeccai (Esther's uncle)who was in service under the same king did not pay the required daily homeage of a profound bow to him. So this minister convinced the King to pass a decree of extermination of all Jews so that Mordeccai also would be got rid of. As the story goes, Mordeccai asked Queen Esther to plead with the King to spare the Jews, something that was humanly speaking impossible, Finally, the miracle happens, through the intervention of this queen, who humbled herself, fasted, prayed and begged the king to spare them.

The Uniqueness of her Prayer

The section on prayer in the book of Esther is given in the Addition 14 in the NRSV (New Revised Standard Version). The reason is that certain parts of this book are not in the Hebrew but only in the Septuagint version. We Catholics who accept also these parts; so these parts are numbered in a different way. The thematic verse almost at the beginning that sets the tone of the text is, "Queen Esther, seized with deadly anxiety, likewise fled up to the Lord" (C:14:1) In all the forms of emergency prayer found in the Jewish manner of prayer, particularly,in the praying pattern of the woman that sense of flight to the Lord is evident. The take refuge in the Lord with great urgency and speed like a bird flying to the mountain.So David writes," In the LORD I take refuge; how can you see to me, "Flee like a bird to the Mountains!'" (Ps. 11:1). Again another psalm speaks of the escape like that of a bird fleeing from a trap, "We escaped with our lives like a bird from the fowler's snare; the snare was broken and we escaped" Ps.124:7).Similarly Esther flees from the worldly status in the palace at the moment of danger and takes refuge in the Lord. The text of the prayer of Esther is quite long. But the parts of a typical prayer are there: a) Self -abasement in humility and penitence by taking off the royal garments and putting on a penitential garb with even dirt smeared on herself; b) Address to God as the only God of Israel, saying: 'My Lord, our king, you alone are God'; c) Presentation of the gravity of the danger: "for I am taking my life in my hand" (C15); d)Acknowledgement of sin recalling past history and admitting the present state of sin: "But now we have sinned in your sight, and you have delivered us into the hands of our enemies" (C17) e) The fear of being deprived of the possibility of giving praise to God and restore the glory of God, the temple and the altar: to close the mouths of those who praise you, and to extinguish the glory of your temple and your altar; and f) The final request with her whole heart: " O God, more powerful than all, hear the voice of those in despair. Save us from the power of the wicked, and deliver me from my fear" (C:30). We know that the prayer worked wonderfully because God changed the anger of the king into kindness: "But God changed the king's anger to goodness" (D: 8). The rest of the story is already known to us: the Jews were spread of that threatened extermination and so they rejoiced by celebrating the feast of Purim. Purim (Hebrew 'lots', related to Akkadian puru) is a festival that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people living throughout the ancient Persian Empire from a plot by Haman the Agagite to annihilate them. According to the story, Haman cast lots to determine the day upon which to exterminate the Jews (Cf. Wikipedia).

Esther a model of intercessory prayer

   Intercession is a form of prayer extremely pleasing to God and has a long tradition from the early stages of the Bible history. The Hebrew word for intercede originally meant "to strike upon", and thus comes to mean 'to assail anyone with petitions. ' When such assailing was done on behalf of others this was called intercession (Cf.Wycliffe Bible Dictonary)

  We know from the Bible the names of a number of intercessors like, Abraham who interceded for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, Moses who prayed for his people on Mount Sinai, Elijah who implored the Lord to turn the peoples' hearts back to worship Him alone (Kg 18: 36-37).
 
   In the New Testament we see the early Church interceding  for the deliverance of Peter from the prison (Acts 12: 5). Paul always interceded for Christ's Church (2 Cor 13:7) saying, "but we pray to God that you may not do anything wrong (2Cor. 13:9). In several of his letters we read how much he was praying for the Christian communities and for the spread of the Gospel (Eph 2: 17;Col 4:3; 1Thess.3:10). He instructs Timothy about a mode of intercession saying, "First of all, then, I urge That supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions...." (Tim2 :1-4).

Esther as an example of a special type of intercessor

        Esther interceded for her people with all her heart and with all her being. She took all the risk in spite of knowing that she could be put to death by the king in violating the laws. As mentioned earlier, it a big leap she made into the Lion's den to save her people.From her royal status she stooped low to the level of dust in profound humility, to beg for mercy and clemency from the king for her people.

      Esther had that intercessory confidence like that of Mother Mary who intervened at the wedding of Cana.That too was  a risk; if Jesus had rejected it would have been a humiliation for her.

      Esther bore a little resemblance to Christ in her intercession. Jesus Christ also made his life as a sacrifice for the salvation of his people while interceding for the people. Just as Esther depended on her God for help, so too Jesus, depended on his Father to rescue him.

     We too like Esther can do a great deal by interceding for others. God loves a cheerful giver, who gives
time and makes sacrifices to intercede for others.

WOMAN OF PRAYER : JUDITH

A SINGLE WOMAN ARMY THAT SHE WAS, JUDITH DEFEATED A MIGHTY ARMY LED BY THE GENERAL HOLOFERNES, THROUGH HER PRAYER THAT BROUGHT HEAVEN DOWN. IT IS THAT QUALITY OF PRAYER THAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE. THE INTRODUCTION TO THAT PRAYER IS CONVINCING ENOUGH REGARDING THE ATTITUDE OF PROFOUND HUMILITY AND TOTAL INVOLVEMENT IN PRAYER: "Judith threw herself down prostrate, with ashes strewn upon her head, and wearing nothing over her sackcloth. while the incense was being offered in the temple of God in Jerusalem that evening, Judith prayed to the Lord with a loud voice" (Judith 9:1) That was a primitive style of prayer but genuine and typically Semitic or rather Jewish in character. There are important elements to be noted: * Prostration * Ashes strewn upon the head * Wearing a sackcloth and nothing more * While incense was being offered * She prayed with a loud voice None of these qualities can be seen in modern types of prayer when we come well-dressed and sit comfortably on chairs, even cross-legged, and pray rather mentally than vocally. Judith followed the Jewish pattern of prayer that was done in extreme situations. Her posture was prostration something that brings a person to the earth level in humility. Next she does not use any special make-up with cosmetics- her cosmetics are ashes strewn over the hair. She does not wear fine clothes but only sackcloth. She chooses the appropriate moment to pray, that is, when incense was being offered which symbolizes sacred moment when the priest too is offering prayer to God. Finally her prayer is with a loud voice. There are other Jewish qualities of prayer added to this her all-important prayer. The Jews would recall the past and remind God of the times he saved them.she recalls particularly the way Simeon had avenged the rape of his sister Dina and slaughtered those strangers in a treacherous manner that she considers as heroic act done with the help of God. Judith also brings to the Lord's notice the evil intention of the proud Assyrians to defile his holy sanctuary, their plan to poll out the tabernacle and to destroy his altar. She talks to the heart of God by telling him that he does not need numbers and reminds about his goodness towards the lowly. She uses also a few touching titles about God's goodness, "Your strength is not in numbers, nor does your power depend upon stalwart men; but you are the God of the lowly, the helper of the oppressed, the supporter of the weak,the protector of the forsaken, the Savior of those without hope" (Judith 9:11). She uses even greater titles for God which are definitely appealing,"Please God of my forefather, God of the heritage of Israel, Lord of heaven and earth, Creator of the waters,King of all you have created, hear my prayer!"(Judith 9:12). According to Jewish way of thinking, it was important to address God invoking his various attributes and powers. Jesus was not in favor of such a mode of prayer, "When you pray do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do" (Mt.6:7). However, in Juduth's case, she is not heaping up empty phrases by calling God by the important titles he had. She is simple, sincere and profoundly theological in her prayer, when she tells God, "the Lord is your name" (Judith 9:8). Prayer has to be persistent as Judith does. No where in the Bible do we read of someone pleading and begging God more than Judith does as we read in verse 12. "Please, please" she begs like a little child before a loving father. How can a loving father refuse the plea of a beloved daughter? In prayer we should give glory to God as Judith does. In the last verse of Chapter 9, she prays that this victory over the enemy will bring more honour and glory to God and not to her or anyone else,"Let your whole nation and all the tribes know clearly that you are the god of all power and might, and that there is no other who protects the people of Israel but you alone"(9:14) Therefore, we see that Judith's prayer was a humble but powerful one which encompassed the qualities that please God and which he could not reject. They are qualities such as-her humility, total trust in God, selfless,sincerity,total commitment, giving total glory and honour only to God. Although she was a woman, her courage and bravery to take such a dreadful risk of loosing her life came totally from her trust in her God and not in any human help, not in the army of her nation.It was really her trust that worked the miracle and because she trusted in her God, she sought his help by spending time in fasting and prayer. And she prayed with all her heart,all her soul and all her mind - a fervent prayer that God could not overlook. In contrast to her total trust in God,the Assyrians trusted in their horses and riders, soldiers, their shield and spear, bow and sling. She prayed that the Lord would make himself and his might known to them by crushing their strength, their arrogance and their pride. We know from the Bible, God delights in the humble but resists the proud as St. James says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" "(James 4:6). Judith's prayer and courageous deed have been likened to the Blessed Virgin Mary's God-given grace and strength to crush the serpent the devil. Judith's prayer and the Magnificat of Mary have something in common, humility and trust. Judith's prayer and courage are of course surpassed by Mary's self-sacrifice and trust at the foot of the cross, doing the final battle against the devil. A FINAL THOUGHT Judith's story may look unbelievable but the message is unbelievably true because of the substance of the prayer attributed to her.That kind of prayer could not have been rejected by God. We are taught how to pray since our childhood but does not mean we know how to pray. If our prayer is lacking something we can take it from Judith-humility in posture and dress, praying from the heart and offering it like incense to God. Judith was forceful in her prayer because she recalled the great deeds of God and addressed God with meaningful titles. We have many things before God to thank him for we know the best title that we can use for through Jesus the prayer will be more powerful than that of Judith, provided we also trust with all our heart and in all humility, as Judith had done.

BIBLICAL SYMBOLS - WELL

A well that supplies water is one of the gifts of nature that is given by God; but there is also the effort of man to make a well in the right spot. From ancient time people recognized the power of  God too working at the bottom of the well, that is through the supplies of springs, That was not easily explainable except that God's hand was there. That's why they attributed a spiritual meaning to it. Often God used the well as a sign of his grace and symbol of his caring presence. This was very evident in the history of the Israelites, who had a nomadic life and finally got a land of their own that lacked this precious commodity called water.

Well as a human survival symbol

Water was from the beginning a bone of contention for Abraham and his posterity. The first instance of such a quarrel recorded in the Bible is concerning Abraham and Abimelech of the Philistines, " Abraham, however,reproached Abimelech about a well that Abimelech's men had seized by force" (Gen.21:25). In fact, Abraham had to make a pact with him as the Bible says, "Then Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech and the two made a pact" (Gen. 21:27). It was so important that Abraham also named the place, "This is why the place is called Beer-sheba; the two took an oath there "(Gen. 21:31).The name Beer-sheba has a rich meaning according to the commentary given in the New American Bible, "Beer-sheba: the Hebrew name really means, 'the well of the seven' , i.e., the place where there are seven wells,alluded to in the episode of the seven ewe lambs, Genesis 21:28-30; but it can also be enterpreted to mean 'the well of the earth' ".

From Abraham the fight for water continued into the next generations; that was when Isaac was in a part of Gear called Wadi Gerar. The Philistines, out of jealousy came and polluted the water of his wells that he had inherited from Abraham, "The Philistines had stopped up and filled with dirt all the wells that his father's servants had dug back in the days of his father Abraham" (Gen.26:15). He had to clean up those wells with much difficulty; later he dug other wells which the Philistines claimed to be their own, the only exception being one he dug and named Rehoboth (Gen. 26:22). Finally Isaac returns to Beersheba to have peace. So the water issue or the well issue has been a burning issue from ancient times.

Well as a Symbol of God's Presence

The Bible speaks of God's use of the well as a sign and location where God makes his presence and favour felt.A striking example of this is the story of Hagar in the desert holding on to her baby Ishmael, crying for water: "Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water, and then let the boy drink" (Gen.21:19) On an earlier occasion, she had to run away on her own from Sarah because she could not endure her persecution and there in the desert God spoke to her; that vision took place near a well called "Beer-lahai-roi" , situated between Kadesh and Bered. God made her a promise at the well and sent her back to give birth to child in Abraham's house. Hagar so had an experience of God near a well, a symbolism that cannot be forgotten.

In the Bible God refers to himself as the real well that gives water, true and living water. Through the mouth of Jeremiah God utters that powerful prophesy that identifies God as the source of living water and laments about the evil they have done by rejecting him, the source of living water, "two evils have my people done: They have forsaken me, the source of living waters: They have dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water" (Jer. 2:13). Then Isaiah, we find God appealing to people come and drink freely from him, "all you who are thirsty, come to the water!" (Is. 55:1). That water is the salvation that God gives to his people as Isaiah points out, "With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation" (Is. 12:3).

Water too was a symbol of love between man and woman; so if a woman offered water, she was worthy of a man's love as we see Rebecca offering water to the servants and camels of Isaac, "With that, she quickly emptied her jug into the drinking trough and run back to the well to draw more water, until she had drawn enough for all the camels" (Gen, 24:20). Similarly, if a man came to the rescue of women harassed by others and enabled them to have water for themselves and their sheep their father would certainly want to take that man to be husband of one of the daughters.Moses in Median was such a lucky son -in-law, "But Moses fled from him and stayed in the land of Midian. As he was seated there by a well, seven daughters of a priest of Midian came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock" Ex. 2: 16-17). Next there followed for Moses a wedding proposal and a happy encounter with his bride and her family (Ex.2: 21-20).

Giving with water symbolizes also the practice of love expected of the chosen people, as Isaiah teaches, "Meet the thirsty, bring them water, you who dwell  the land of Tema, greet the fugitives with bread" (Is.21:14). Jesus are  re-emphasizes this point and even speaks of reward for a small gesture like giving a drink to a disciple sent by him, "And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple- amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward" (Mt. 10"42).

Here the context is clear to anyone who knows the sense of hospitality in ancient times when water would be offered to  any stranger in need. Jesus adds greater value to that gesture when it is done to a messenger of his. But he takes service of the poor in need of water as even more important, :(For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me"(Mt. 25:35) and the King will say to them in reply,'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me'" (Mt.25:40).

JESUS AS THE WELL OF LIVING WATER

          John the Evangelist presents Jesus at Jacob's well, situated in Sychar or Schechem and sees a great deal of meaning in that presence. Jesus is there taking the place of God, as the author of the living water. The paradox here is that the giver himself is thirsty and does not mind any social barrier ( the Jew does not ask a Samaritan  for water) but humbly asks for water. This is a love scene as well because at the site of wells such conversations used to take place. The Samaritan  woman must have been intrigued but took a cautious stand by revealing her unworthiness to offer that water to someone of a higher status. Jesus makes an offer to her by saying  " but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" .He was offering her also love , a new type of love, and hinting at the same time that he was from a higher status than she could have imagined.So she fell for that offer whatever it might have been and said, " Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water". But like a real lover, he puts a condition that she should declare her private life, " Go call your husband and comeback " (Jn. 4:16). To her evasive answer he pointed out how she was with more than five men until then, "For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband" (Jn. 4: 18). There was further evasiveness and diversionary tactic on her part, by introducing a discussion about the place of worship of the Samaritans and Jews. When Jesus answered that question too her  final argument was that until the Messiah would come she had no way of knowing the truth. Immediately, on the spot he revealed himself to her; that revelation is the real living water he wanted to give her.
            In this story John sums up the Old Testament teaching about Yahweh as the giver of the living water and points to Jesus as God present visibly with the living water of his revelation. The story of Jacob's well too gets fulfilled here  when Jesus surpasses the ancestor Jacob in greatness by providing a new well from which the water could never be exhausted.
           The theme of the life-giving water is repeated in this Gospel again, but identifying the living water as the Spirit that was to come,
           " On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and exclaimed, 'Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink.Whoever believes in me, as scripture says: Rivers of living water will flow from within him' . He said this in reference to the Spirit that those who came to believe in him were to receive. There was, of course, no Spirit yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified " (Jn. 7:36-39). The flow of blood and water from his side when his side was pierced after his death, is an important detail that John took note of, " One soldier thrust his lance into his side , and immediately blood and water flowed out" ( Jn. 19:34). It has a special symbolism for the Church that was born from his side; it also means the living water of sacramental grace that he gives us freely.
          Our discussion of the well  cannot easily end here because Jesus' Spirit forms that eternal source of water in each of us and urges us on to seek for more of his revelation and grace.                 
 

JESUS AS OUR CONFESSOR

As a rule, a confessor must listen to the sins of a penitent and absolve the sins. Some essential criteria required for a good confession are:
1) sincere repentance,
2) a good resolved to avoid sins and the circumstances of falling into sins especially the grave ones,
3) the confession of sins to a priest and
4) reparation for sins through penance that includes restitution for the loss cause to others.The confessor before absolving the penitent also gives the necessary advice and recommends a penance to be done by the  penitent.In this process some grave sins (e.g. desecration of the Bl. Sacrament, solicitation   during the confession etc...) may not be forgiven just as Jesus said,  " Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven and whose sins you retain they are retained" (Jn . 20:23). The words of assurance, "go in peace" quite fittingly conclude the confession and will prove effective by the grace of God and the faith of the penitent and the minister.
  
Basically, it is a good and repentant disposition that invites the forgiveness of sins from God.  That is a grace from the Father because the Father without the Father granting it, there is no possibility of making  good confession, " No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him,and I will raise him on the last day " (Jn. 6: 44; 6: 65). So one needs to beg from the Father this grace of coming to Jesus; that happens through a good and repentant disposition. Before Jesus said, " Your sins are forgiven", there was, therefore a grace that the Heavenly Father sent down to draw the sinner to Jesus. Jesus knew it well and he also took control of all the essential requirements for a good confession.By analysing some examples when Jesus forgave the sins of people, we will notice how Jesus was very  flexible about the way he dealt wiyh sinners and at the same time sent them away in peace after forgiving them.

 1. The paralytic is forgiven from sins before he is healed as soon he is laid before the eyes of Jesus, (Mt. 9:   2-8; Mk.Jn. 20: 23) 2: 1-12; Lk. 5: 17-26).It was their faith that moved Jesus to say those words, "Son, your sins are forgiven". But at the same time the disposition of the paralyzed man must have been ready for such a grace of forgiveness because  he did not get offended being considered a sinner, rather he was moved to repentance when loved by Jesus and called 'son' (Mt.9:2; Mk.2:5) or 'friend' (Lk. 5:20). He wanted mercy and he received it in abundance when he also was healed. On the other hand the Pharisees and leaders of the people reacted to the words of forgiveness and only went back home more hostile to God. The way the grace of forgiveness operated in the case of the paralytic is a mystery; but one thing we must believe is that 'Jesus presence there had its own power when someone had faith and had wanted to be relieved of every problem. It is possible that the paralytic was looking for the day of forgiveness and had received the grace of repentance, just as Jesus welcomed him with love.

2. A woman with an alabastar jar with precious ointment is forgiven by Jesus, " He said to her, 'Your sins are forgiven' (Lk. 7:48). All we know is that, "she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment" (Lk. 7: 38). It was her love that brought her forgiveness for all her sins, although she was unable to confess them. So love matters very much, or rather it is the main requisite,to receive pardon from God.

3.The woman caught in adultery is released by Jesus, "Then Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you. Go, from now on, do not sin any more" (Jn. 8:11). It is not said that Jesus forgave her the sin of adultery as he only said, 'neither do I condemn you, go in peace and do not sin any more'. But this part does not imply that she was considered innocent but definitely forgiven and told not to sin any more. Her sorrow for being caught turned into repentance for her sins as she found herself in front of her Saviour. There was a confession that was unexpressed that Jesus could read and so his forgiveness was instant.

 4. The Samaritan woman also was forgiven, "Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman who testified, 'He told me everything I have done'" (Jn. (4:39). In this case Jesus announced the Gospel of living water to her and made her do an examination of conscience, by telling her, 'Go and call your husband'. That was something important for a good confession and he gave her peace as a free gift just as she came to realize that he was  the Messiah. So she became a missionary to preach the good news.

5. Zaccheus is forgiven though it is not explicitly mentioned. But Zacchaeus does promise to set things right, "But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ' Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor; and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over'. And Jesus said to him. "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what  was lost" (Lk.19:8-10). In the case of Zaccheus there is real conversion and will to do restitution for defrauding, as well as, to do charity, something important after     a good confession. His confession is a real example of doing reparation for sins by making amends for the mistakes of the past.

 6. The sick man lying at the pool of  Bethesda was forgiven as he was healed because Jesus told him later, ' ' Look, you are well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse may happen to you' ( Jn. 5: 14). Jesus had forgiven him just by speaking to him at the pool and the physical healing was preceded also by the spiritual healing , that of forgiveness of sins.

7. Matthew (Levi) when he was called received pardon. The Fact that he made amends by hosting a banquet with the money he had and then left everything to follow Jesus, indicates conversion. This is understood because Jesus told the Pharisees, "Go and learn the meaning of the words, ' I desire mercy, not sacrifice'. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners' "  (Mt. 9: 13). Matthew's call involved a conversion on his part, as he decided to give up the past and offer a thanksgiving dinner. Jesus by his very presence loved him and made him feel loved, that at the same time included the forgiveness of sins.

8. The good thief on the Cross is forgiven just for the one sentence he said, "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom". Was there any confession of sins done on his part? No, he only acknowledge that he was being punished justly and proclaimed that Jesus is innocent, in other words, Jesus was the sinless one and savior. It was by the grace of God that he was able to make that prayer just as Jesus said, " No one can come to me unless, my Father draws him to me"  ( Jn. 6: 44) That mighty absolution given by Jesus from the Cross was the last act of pardon Jesus gave before his death.  The Cross itself was the confessional from which went forth salvation.

9. After his Resurrection Jesus meets Peter and some of the Apostles on the Shore of the Sea of Galilee. There Peter is forgiven for his denial three times when Jesus ask a this question, 'Simon, son of John do you love me?' and Peter responds, 'Yes, Lord, I love you'. This happened three times and Peter is overwhelmed by Jesus' forgiving love. Jesus then commissions Peter as the head of the Church. That was forgiveness through love.Peters triple act of love was hat Jesus wanted from him.

10. Thomas is forgiven and reconfirmed of his faith. He committed a grave sin of doubting the resurrection of Jesus although the others had told him all the facts that were convincing enough if he wanted to believe. His problem was the facts that he had missed what they had got. But doubt was a serious sin, next only to denial.So it was necessary for him to repent and profess his faith which he did after seven days of agonizing wait when the Lord came down again to reconfirm Thomas as an apostle in front of others. So Thomas confessed," My Lord and My God" . With that single sentence the courageous apostle proclaimed his faith not only in the resurrection of Jesus but also formulated for us the doctrine of Jesus' Lordship and divinity: Jesus is Lord and God. Jesus forgave him but not without letting him know that his faith would have been more acceptable to God if he had believed, without seeing. Thomas took to heart that mild reprimand and amends for going to the farthest corner of the then known world when he came to South India and preached the faith and died a martyr.

 The criteria followed by Jesus for the forgiveness of sins may appear strange or vague to us; but one thing that strikes out is his love that meets the sinner and melts the heart and then follows total forgiveness, It is God embracing the sinner as Paul says, " In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us " ( 2Cor. 5: 19).

The instances of forgiveness given by Jesus to individuals were not many according to the Gospels, but the program announced by Jesus for the forgiveness of sins was a vast campaign of inner calling people to repentance, as we know from the Gospels. He made it the purpose of his mission on earth to net in sinners and on various occasions he said it, " I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners " (Lk. 5:32 ). He was gentle when he spoke thus to the simple and ignorant but to the self - proclaimed righteous he was quite stern , " But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as likewise!" (Lk. 13:5) ; and again in John we read, " He said to them again, ' I am going away and you will look for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going you cannot come ' " (Jn. 8:21 ). Severals of his parables are stories of God's mercy towards the sinner who repents whatever the sin is.

The power given to the apostles included also the power to forgive or retains sins ( Mt. 16:19 and Jn. 20:23). That at the Last Supper even his words had power to cleanse those who believed in him we make out from his words at the Last Supper, " You have already been cleanesed by the words I have spoken to you" (Jn. 15: 3 NRSV). but he was going to do more than that. At solemn moment he let the apostles know for sure that his blood would be shed for the forgiveness of sins , " Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to  them, saying,  ' Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiiveness of sins" (Mt. 26: 27- 28) .The author of the letter to the Hebrews tells us that Christ accomplished that sacrifice once and for all for our redemption, " He entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption" ( Heb. 9:12 ). The same letter tells us more specifically, " But now once for all he has appeared at the end of  the ages  to take away sin by his sacrifice " (Heb. 9: 26b). This has been therefore the confessional   programme of Jesus for us. That was the final  mandate given to the apostles to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins (  Lk. 24: 47 ). In the present times Jesus returns to us as a confessor through the devotion to the Divine Mercy so that all may enter the channel of grace by having recourse to the forgiveness of sins, for which many are the ministers deputed by Jesus. May Jesus the good confessor help us to realize  this!

Ressurection of the Matter

Divinization of the World:

The (divine) Word became flesh (matter) so that the matter might become divine. This divinization process of the material world is made possible only through the spoken (preached) words of Christ in and through His disciples in the world. God calls them "gods" to whom the word of God came (Jn 10:35). As the'"bread "(0f  life) is scattered all over the world through the holy C0mmunion of His disciples, so too the believers, who are "sown" upon the face of the earth will be gathered together into unity { Jn 11:52). The matter one day will be unable to experience corruption or decay, due to the active presence of the risen Lord dwelling in it (Acts 2:27).

Transfiguration of the Matter

It is the most important and the greatest mystery of life. How can matter undergo the radical transformation into
something else?The visible word of the matter is an infused one and therefore, it is capable of profound transformation. We breath-in what Christ on the Cross has breath-out ( Jn 19: 30 ), Look at the transfiguration of the " garments " of the Lord at the mount of the Transfiguration ( Mt 17: 2 ). The garment is a piece of the earth that is transfigured, just because of its contact with the glorified body. The death pang of Christ is transposed to the birth-pang of the new creation ( Rom 8: 22; 1Thess 5: 3 ).

Eucharistic Body

The mystery of the transfiguration of the material world is closely linked to another
great mystery: the mystery of the Eucharist, where a piece of the earth is transformed
( transubstantiated) into the risen and glorified body of Christ. How is it possible that
the flesh (matter) becomes divine? " They kept the matter to themselves, questioning
what the rising from the dead meant " ( Mk 9:10). This mysterious truth must be "taught
by the Spirit" ( 1 Cor 2: 13) only.

Life- created Word

The living Spirit penetrates into a lump of dead matter and creates  life in it. My words are "life creating " and they are spirit (Jn 6: 63 ). The spirit, who is the Giver of life, quickens life in everything that is brought in contact
with the word of Christ. Just as become Adam became a life- generating being, the last Adam ( Christ )  creation is the prerogative of the Father the Creator, but He grants His Son the same power to " create life "
(Jn 5:21 ). Our hope hinges in this that we too will be " made alive in the spirit " ( Pet 3: 18 ) due to indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Cosmic Groaning

The material world is in state of ceaseless groaning within, for the redemption of it from the corpses of corruption and bondage to decay. This mystery has hope as its goal, and the hope will not let us down, for in hope, we are saved ( Rom 8: 24 ). The hope is that our groaning ends in immortality of the flesh. A three fold groaning is envisaged by St. Paul.

i.    All creation groan together in labour pain ( Rom 8: 22 )
ii.    We ourselves groan inwardly ( Rom 8: 23 )
iii.   The Spirit intercedes for us with groans ( Rom 8: 26 )


This three fold " groaning " drives us to the resurrection of the material world, where we are part and parcel of it. In fact, we are the first fruit of the resurrection, and the rest of the creation follow us.

Conclusion

We pray to the psalmist : my soul cleaves to the dust,  by your word give me life " ( Ps 119: 25 ). God alone
" made us alive ( quickens  ) together with Christ " ( Eph 2: 5 ) and He continues His re-creation of the matter
through His Son Jesus' resurrection. Let us cling on to Him just as Mary Magdalene has done. " O Lord, You are my God, for You I long. My souls clings to You; Your right hand upholds me " ( Ps. 63: 1,8 ). Amen.

THE DIVINE MERCY DEVOTION

Between 1930 and 1938 Jesus appeared to Sister Faustina (now,Saint Faustina), a Sister of Mercy in Poland who initiated the Divine Mercy devotion.

The feast of Mercy is celebrated on the Second Sunday / Octave Sunday Easter.Jesus also asked that a picture be painted according to the Vision of Himself as the Fountain of Mercy.

He gave Saint Faustina a chaplet to be recited and said that it was appropriate to pay the chaplet at three o'clock each afternoon (the Hour of Great Mercy).

CHAPLET OF DIVINE MERCY

1.  Begin with the Sign of the  Cross. Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary and the Apostles' Creed.
2.  OUR FATHER BEADS: Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of our sins and those of the whole world.
3.  10 HAIL MARY BEADS: For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and the whole world.

( Repeat step 2 and 3 for all the five decades.)

4.  Conclude with (Three Times): Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One,have mercy on us, and the whole world.
5. Closing Prayer (Optional): Eternal God, in Whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion-- inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to your will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

God's Written and Spoken Law

God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses in the Old Law,and Jesus Christ confirmed them in the New Law.


THE TEN COMMANDMENT (OLD TESTAMENT)

1. I am the LORD your God: you shall not have strange God's before me.
2, You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in your vain.
3. Remember the to keep holy the LORD'S day.
4. Honor your father and your Mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.


THE BEATITUDES (NEW TESTAMENTS)
Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger in and thirst for righteous,for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for the righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.